Young Invincibleshttp://younginvincibles.org
Elevating the voices of Young Americans on top issues, such as healthcare, jobs, and higher education.Mon, 25 Sep 2017 15:55:20 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.5Official Comment: Graham-Cassidy 2.0 Is Dangerous for Young People’s Health Carehttp://younginvincibles.org/letters/graham-cassidy-is-dangerous-for-young-peoples-health-care/
Mon, 25 Sep 2017 15:55:20 +0000http://younginvincibles.org/?p=5344Young Invincibles submitted comment to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance ahead of today’s Hearing to Consider the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson Proposal. This proposal would reduce federal funding for health care, end the ACA’s Medicaid expansion and financial assistance, fundamentally undermine the Medicaid program and protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and defund Planned Parenthood. None of these reforms make health care better for young Americans. Please find a copy of Young Invincibles’ comment to the Committee here.

]]>Young Invincibles submitted comment to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance ahead of today’s Hearing to Consider the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson Proposal. This proposal would reduce federal funding for health care, end the ACA’s Medicaid expansion and financial assistance, fundamentally undermine the Medicaid program and protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and defund Planned Parenthood. None of these reforms make health care better for young Americans.

Please find a copy of Young Invincibles’ comment to the Committee here.

]]>Graham-Cassidy Would Decimate Young Adults’ Health Carehttp://younginvincibles.org/yi-blog/graham-cassidy-decimate-young-adults-health-care/
Wed, 20 Sep 2017 15:15:53 +0000http://younginvincibles.org/?p=5334Last week, a group of Senate Republicans unveiled their latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act and strip millions of Americans of their health care coverage. Graham-Cassidy, named after its primary sponsors in the Senate, is even worse than its predecessor repeal plans and would devastate young adults’ health care. Young Invincibles urges members to vote NO on the Graham-Cassidy amendment. How Graham-Cassidy Hurts Young Adults: Graham-Cassidy slashes federal health care funding. New Census numbers reveal that more than […]

]]>Last week, a group of Senate Republicans unveiled their latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act and strip millions of Americans of their health care coverage. Graham-Cassidy, named after its primary sponsors in the Senate, is even worse than its predecessor repeal plans and would devastate young adults’ health care. Young Invincibles urges members to vote NO on the Graham-Cassidy amendment.

How Graham-Cassidy Hurts Young Adults:

Graham-Cassidy slashes federal health care funding. New Census numbers reveal that more than 9.3 million young adults have gained coverage since passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — thanks in large part to new federal funding for health care dedicated to premium tax credits for low- and middle-income consumers and Medicaid expansion. And millions more could be eligible for coverage if all states expanded their Medicaid programs. Graham-Cassidy would cut federal health care funding by 34 percent between 2020 and 2026; in 2027, all federal funding for Medicaid expansion and financial assistance through the marketplaces would be eliminated entirely. Another analysis of the amendment by Avalere Health finds that federal health care spending would fall by $4 trillion over the next two decades.

It would end Medicaid as we know it. The Medicaid program is a critical lifeline for young families, as it covers care for half of all births and more than a third of all children. Graham-Cassidy would end the Medicaid program as we know it by converting the program’s guaranteed funding to a limited,per capita cap funding model. This would force states to cut millions from their Medicaid coverage, cut access to essential services, raise taxes, and/or lower provider reimbursement rates. Furthermore, this fundamental change would hamstring states in being able to respond to public health emergencies like a Zika outbreak or natural disasters similar to those that have recently ravaged states like Texas, Florida, and Georgia.

It guts protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Prior to the ACA, more than a third of young adults had conditions that exposed them to being denied coverage by insurers. The ACA not only banned insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, but it also prevented them from charging people with pre-existing conditions more for coverage. Graham-Cassidy would allow states to waive these protections and subject people with pre-existing conditions to higher costs for their coverage. For example, if you have asthma, you could face a premium surcharge of $4,340. Consumers who are pregnant or have metastatic cancer could face even higher surcharges of $17,320 and $142,650 respectively.

It would end the ACA’s Essential Health Benefits. Graham-Cassidy would also allow states to waive the ACA’s Essential Health Benefits (EHBs) that ensure policies cover basic health care services like maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services, and preventive services. These services are both highly valued and utilized by young people. Waiving these benefits opens the back door to allowing states to discriminate against people who need health care services by forcing them to pay more out of pocket for the health care services they need. Eliminating EHBs could also allow insurers to impose more annual and lifetime limits on coverage and shifting costs to consumers.

The amendment defunds Planned Parenthood. Millions of young people rely on Planned Parenthood to access basic health care services like preventive care, including immunizations, cancer screenings, and contraception. Graham-Cassidy would single out Planned Parenthood by prohibiting it from receiving Medicaid reimbursement dollars for administering care. Defunding Planned Parenthood could lead to more unintended pregnancies, higher maternal mortality rates, and missed diagnoses that could help catch and treat diseases before they become more serious.

Why the Senate Must Abandon Graham-Cassidy NOW:

No CBO score, no vote. The Senate will not have a CBO score outlining the amendment’s full impact before members are being asked to vote. It is reckless for the Senate to vote on legislation that will reorder the health care system without a comprehensive analysis of how the bill will impact Americans’ access to health coverage, consumers’ premiums and out-of-pocket costs, and protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Funding for essential health programs could lapse. Congress has until September 30, 2017 to reauthorize funding for several crucial health programs, including the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Community Health Centers, and Medicare programs that support rural hospitals and patients. However, if Congress prioritizes passing its partisan Graham-Cassidy amendment over these essential programs, funding for these programs will lapse. As a former Senate staffer and professor at Georgetown Center for Children and Families put it: “There are only [now 10] days left in September, and there are even fewer legislative days. The Senate will have a short week this week and next to observe Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, limiting the total number of legislative days between now and the end of September to six at the most… it is highly unlikely if not impossible to move forward on two completely different paths [repeal and reauthorizing CHIP] and come to any productive resolution in the span of six legislative days.”

Give bipartisan efforts in the Senate a chance. Earlier this month, the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee held bipartisan hearings on ways to reduce insurance premiums and stabilize the health insurance markets. At these hearings, liberal and conservative experts alike called on Congress to make Cost-Sharing Reduction (CSR) payments to insurers that help reduce out-of-pocket costs for low- and middle-income consumers and prevent a 20 percent spike in premiums next year. This week, Democratic and Republican Governors wrote a joint letter pleading with the US Senate not to consider Graham-Cassidy and give a chance to the bipartisan efforts in the Senate to stabilize the individual insurance market. They wrote: “legislation should receive consideration under regular order, including hearings in health committees and input from the appropriate health-related parties.”

]]>Why New York Needs Work Programs that Push Back Against Youth Unemploymenthttp://younginvincibles.org/millennial-voices/new-york-needs-work-programs-push-back-youth-unemployment/
Mon, 18 Sep 2017 16:59:10 +0000http://younginvincibles.org/?p=5331When I left my home in the Bronx to pursue an education in Florida it was supposed to be a turning point; one where I took the right path, seamlessly shifting from high school to college and then to medical school. But the unexpected took root, and I became pregnant with my son. Soon, my husband, newborn, and I returned to New York after being unable to sustain ourselves in Florida. Unemployment, coupled with the new responsibility of keeping my […]

]]>When I left my home in the Bronx to pursue an education in Florida it was supposed to be a turning point; one where I took the right path, seamlessly shifting from high school to college and then to medical school. But the unexpected took root, and I became pregnant with my son. Soon, my husband, newborn, and I returned to New York after being unable to sustain ourselves in Florida. Unemployment, coupled with the new responsibility of keeping my child healthy, was overwhelming and I needed a drastic change to get back on track.

Fortunately, there are workforce programs in New York that are prepared for needs and experiences like mine, and that work to alleviate the experience youth unemployment in our state. In New York City, 18 percent of young people 16 to 24 years old are unemployed. As a part of that population, I searched for opportunities to gain skills that helped me transition into the workforce. In my efforts to move forward, a friend introduced me to Phipps Neighborhoods’ Career Network: Healthcare (CNH), a highly successful, local program that specializes in people like me, who were derailed by the unexpected.

Before I was connected with CNH, my small family struggled. We lived with my in-laws, where I started all over again. I depended on my husband’s income of $400 per week, which was barely enough for us to get by. Between the baby’s needs, food, and keeping the lights on, we had no space for upward mobility. I felt stuck, but I knew I couldn’t stay in a state of hopelessness. I reached out to my limited professional network, calling and speaking with whomever I could about any new opportunities that would lead me to my original plan.

Finally, I got there. I have a friend who graduated from CNH and encouraged me to just try it. She told me how the Career Network: Healthcare program prepares young people like myself for careers in the health care field through training and live working experience with Phipps Neighborhoods’ partners Montefiore Health System and Hostos Community College. I was skeptical. The opportunity felt like a complete shot in the dark, so you can imagine my shock when I found my application was selected. The rigorous program was 13 weeks long; we spent nine weeks training and the remaining four weeks working in a hospital alongside professionals. I learned skills that were and were not offered in traditional colleges. We took courses in anatomy and physiology, but the life coaching set this program apart from anything I had experienced before. Each student in the program came from some variation of my own background: ambitious, but offset by an unexpected event, and facing a lack of workforce opportunities and skills training that kept them in a state of poverty. Many of us were frustrated with the choices we made and the dead-ends we were experiencing in our careers, and we all received the support we needed to turn our lives around through CNH.

And then, another unexpected event happened: the hospital wanted to keep me for a full-time $40,000-a-year job with great benefits. Now, I’m not only employed, I’m also enrolled to start nursing school in the Spring of 2018. I want New York’s leaders to see how workforce programs that build skills and focus on marginalized and under-resourced communities like my own are needed in this city. CNH recognized my ambition, and fed it.

I cannot state enough the importance of programs like Phipps Neighborhoods Career Network: Healthcare. It has helped me and so many others to grow and rise above poverty. CNH has given us the chance to become someone ready to face the daily struggles that the world and a workplace can throw at us. Thanks to the Phipps Neighborhood Career Network: Healthcare program, I am where I am today!

Jamillet Rodriguez is a Bronx native and a graduate of the Phipps Neighborhoods’ Career Network: Healthcare (CNH) program. She is currently a full time Senior Clerk at the Montefiore Family Care Center and will begin nursing school in the Spring of 2018.

]]>New Data: Young Adult Uninsurance Rate Continues to Drop Under the ACAhttp://younginvincibles.org/yi-blog/aca-cps-data-2017/
Thu, 14 Sep 2017 14:35:20 +0000http://younginvincibles.org/?p=5327New Data: Young Adult Uninsurance Rate Continues to Drop Under the ACA Uninsurance rate among young adults drops for fourth year in a row, now down to 14.1 percent. Young people represent over two-thirds of those who gained health insurance between 2015-2016. New data released by the U.S. Census Bureau this week show young adults continue to benefit from the Affordable Care Act. Over 600,000 young adults, ages 18-34, gained health insurance in a single year, between 2015 and 2016. […]

]]>New Data: Young Adult Uninsurance Rate Continues to Drop Under the ACA

Uninsurance rate among young adults drops for fourth year in a row, now down to 14.1 percent.

Young people represent over two-thirds of those who gained health insurance between 2015-2016.

New data released by the U.S. Census Bureau this week show young adults continue to benefit from the Affordable Care Act. Over 600,000 young adults, ages 18-34, gained health insurance in a single year, between 2015 and 2016. This represents over two-thirds of the 914,000 individuals who gained health insurance during this time period.

Looking further back, over 5.9 million young adults gained health insurance since 2013. The rate of the uninsured has fallen over 8 points, from 22.4 percent to 14.1 percent. This is particularly significant as young adults have historically experienced the highest rates of uninsurance. The ACA has opened up access to millions of young people who were previously unable to access coverage. Building on these gains, and reaching more young adults, is critical to the stability of our health system.

This morning, Young Invincibles’ Rocky Mountain Director Christina Postolowski testifies in front of the Senate HELP Committee to discuss how to strengthen the ACA, particularly the individual market, so that young adults can continue to make gains and help stabilize the system. You can watch the hearing here.

If you’d like to speak to an expert about this data, please reach out to Sarah Schultz, sarah.schultz@younginvincibles.org

]]>Factsheets: How Millennials use access and use health carehttp://younginvincibles.org/fact-sheets/factsheets-millennials-use-access-use-health-care/
Mon, 11 Sep 2017 21:19:59 +0000http://younginvincibles.org/?p=5325Five million young adults gained coverage since the Affordable Care Act took effect. These factsheets summarize how young adults access and use health care services now that they’re insured. Collectively Millennials spend $174 billion on health expenses every year, making up 12 percent of all health care expenses nationally. With 5.2 million new young adults gaining insurance coverage over the last two years, health providers, insurers, and advocates need to understand what health conditions young adults seek care and how […]

]]>Five million young adults gained coverage since the Affordable Care Act took effect. These factsheets summarize how young adults access and use health care services now that they’re insured.

Collectively Millennials spend $174 billion on health expenses every year, making up 12 percent of all health care expenses nationally. With 5.2 million new young adults gaining insurance coverage over the last two years, health providers, insurers, and advocates need to understand what health conditions young adults seek care and how they pay for it. In fact, young adults seek care for unique conditions, and pay for that treatment differently than other age groups.

[Washington]- Following today’s Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2018 Labor-H Appropriations bill, Reid Setzer, Government Affairs Director of Young Invincibles, issued the following statement:

“We are heartened to see the Senate Appropriations Committee engage in a bipartisanappropriations process to ensure funding for vital investments that benefit millions of young adults. The bill increases the maximum Pell Grant award, a critical financial aid source for low- and moderate-income students. The Committee responded to the urging of 70 higher education stakeholders by raising the discretionary Pell Grant award by $100, which will ensure the grant continues to rise to $6,020 next year. The bill also restores Pell Grant eligibility for defrauded borrowers who have had their loans forgiven and for students who attended schools that closed, an important step toward giving defrauded students a second chance at the education they deserve. The bill also continues to implement Year-Round Pell, which will allow nearly one million students to graduate faster and more affordably.

We also salute the Committee for protecting funding for several federal student aid priorities, including Federal Work Study, the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, and TRIO. The bill also maintains funding for apprenticeships, and restores funding for the CCAMPIS program, which helps thousands of student-parents afford on-campus child care. It also provides safeguards for student borrowers, by ensuring that the over $1T of existing federal student loans are not serviced by just a single, “too big to fail,” company.

However, despite several positive actions regarding Pell, the bill enacts deeply concerning policy choices that imperil the program going forward. The legislation takes $2.6B from the Pell Grant program, after already removing $1.3B in Fiscal Year 2017. These cuts dramatically heighten the chances of future Pell programmatic shortfalls and remove vital funds that could be used to improve Pell. Additionally, the bill does not re-index the Pell Grant to inflation, a provision that expired this year. This means that the purchasing power of Pell will continue to erode, provided there are not large increases made to the grant each year, a process that is subject to annual budgetary pressures. YI and dozens of other stakeholders will continue to oppose the removal of funding from the Pell Grant program and urge action to prevent future cuts and rectify those cuts already made.

We appreciate the positive steps taken within the bipartisan bill to enhance opportunity for young people, and urge Congressional leadership to continue to work on reducing or eliminating the cuts to Pell through a final FY18 appropriations agreement that raises overall discretionary spending levels.”

]]>Trump Administration’s Cruel Decision to End DACA is an Affront to Millennial Generationhttp://younginvincibles.org/press-releases/trump-administrations-cruel-decision-end-daca-affront-millennial-generation/
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 16:25:22 +0000http://younginvincibles.org/?p=5319FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 5, 2017 Contact: Sarah Schultz, sarah.schultz@younginvincibles.org, 202-734-6510 [Washington]- Today, the Trump administration announced its decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA allows young immigrants brought into the United States as children to live lawfully in the country, enabling them to pursue higher education, work, and serve in the military. Under DACA, eligible individuals receive two-year renewable deportation deferrals that allow them to build their lives in the U.S. and contribute […]

[Washington]- Today, the Trump administrationannounced its decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA allows young immigrants brought into the United States as children to live lawfully in the country, enabling them to pursue higher education, work, and serve in the military. Under DACA, eligible individuals receive two-year renewable deportation deferrals that allow them to build their lives in the U.S. and contribute to their communities and the economy. Nearly 800,000 young people, many of whom have never returned to the country of their birth, and who may have no connection to their previous home, will be affected by the elimination of DACA.

Jen Mishory, Executive Director for Young Invincibles, issued the following statement:

“The President once told DACA recipients to ‘rest easy,’ and said that DACA recipients will be treated ‘with heart.’ Yet today he shows no heart by cruelly deciding to bring the dreams of so many young people to a screeching halt. Over 70 percent of Americans support DACA, because it gives young immigrants, many of whom have never known another home, the opportunity to build their lives and contribute to the culture and economy of our country. More than one in seven Millennials was born outside of the United States, making immigrants part of the fabric and strength of our generation. Eliminating DACA will result in unfinished college degrees, undeveloped start-ups and inventions, undiscovered scientific and medical advances, broken families, and crushed dreams. Ending DACA is an affront to our generation: we are appalled by the President’s cruel decision and call on Congress to act immediately. The nearly 800,000 young immigrants here under the DACA program won’t be pushed back into the shadows or out of the nation they call home.”

]]>Trump Administration Sabotages Open Enrollment By Cutting Off Outreach and Marketing Efforts Critical to Reaching Young Adultshttp://younginvincibles.org/press-releases/trump-sabotages-open-enrollment/
Fri, 01 Sep 2017 00:15:46 +0000http://younginvincibles.org/?p=5315FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 31, 2017 Contact: Sarah Schultz, sarah.schultz@younginvincibles.org, 202-734-6510 [Washington] – Today, the Trump Administration announced that it will cut grants for Affordable Care Act Navigators, who provide critical assistance in enrolling consumers in the individual health care marketplace, by almost $30 million dollars. Additionally, funding for ACA marketing and advertisements will be slashed from $100 million to $10 million. Colin Seeberger, Strategic Campaigns Director of Young Invincibles, released the following statement: “Cuts to programs that help people […]

[Washington] – Today, the Trump Administration announced that it will cut grants for Affordable Care Act Navigators, who provide critical assistance in enrolling consumers in the individual health care marketplace, by almost $30 million dollars. Additionally, funding for ACA marketing and advertisements will be slashed from $100 million to $10 million.

Colin Seeberger, Strategic Campaigns Director of Young Invincibles, released the following statement:

“Cuts to programs that help people enroll in health coverage is the Trump Administration’s latest effort to sabotage the Affordable Care Act and the health of Americans. The ACA is the law of the land, and the President has a responsibility to ensure people can get the coverage they need to live healthy and financially secure lives.

Young people, who have historically experienced some of the highest rates of uninsurance yet have made tremendous gains under the ACA, will be among those populations hit the hardest. As new consumers, often engaging with the system for the first time, education and in-person assistance play a critical role in ensuring that young people can learn about the health insurance system, understand their plan options, and complete enrollment.

Next week, Congress is set to begin discussing bipartisan efforts to strengthen the individual market and provide more people health care, yet our President is working against them and all of us who believe that people should be able to access affordable, quality coverage.”

]]>Ending the Cycle of Poverty to Create Safer Neighborhoods in Chicagohttp://younginvincibles.org/millennial-voices/ending-cycle-poverty-create-safer-neighborhoods-chicago/
Fri, 25 Aug 2017 16:15:06 +0000http://younginvincibles.org/?p=5310I am proud to say I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. Upon telling others of the place I call home, I often find myself answering common questions about my experiences as a Chicagoan. “Is it really that cold?” “Is the stuffed pizza actually that good?” “Chicago, huh? You must be a big Chance the Rapper fan, right?” While the answers to all these questions are undoubtedly yes, there is another common question that I often struggle to […]

]]>I am proud to say I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. Upon telling others of the place I call home, I often find myself answering common questions about my experiences as a Chicagoan. “Is it really that cold?” “Is the stuffed pizza actually that good?” “Chicago, huh? You must be a big Chance the Rapper fan, right?” While the answers to all these questions are undoubtedly yes, there is another common question that I often struggle to answer: “Is the city safe?”

The answer to this question is far more complex than a simple yes or no. People generalize Chicago as a violent city because they heard a statistic like 764 people were killed in the city in 2016. While the data can highlight increasing rates of crime from year to year, what seems to be missing from these conversations is the concern over the overwhelming levels of poverty and lack of resources in the neighborhoods most riddled with crime. Statistics show that most crime in Chicago is consolidated primarily in neighborhoods in the South and West sides of the city. Rather than focusing on finding ways to alleviate poverty and provide resources in these communities, it seems as though these communities are ignored. Many people seem reluctant to address it, but the city is economically and racially segregated, with predominantly minority neighborhoods in the South and West being the most impacted.

While living under these conditions of poverty, many Chicagoans struggle in their daily lives. In these communities, access to adequate health care services, educational funding, and employment opportunities is limited. Often, it seems as though these problems are neglected by a number of elected officials. Shortly after his inauguration in January, President Trump, tweeted about violence in Chicago, suggesting what he seems to think is a simple fix to ending violence across the city: “I will send in the Feds!” However, this tweet shows just how disconnected he is with our city. It would be far more constructive to address resource inequities and find ways to improve high poverty conditions to help combat violence in Chicago.

Access to adequate health care services, particularly in mental health, should be made available to those in underserved areas. In Illinois, over 3 million low income people benefit from Medicaid. Services under Medicaid and under the Affordable Care Act should be protected so that those living in poverty can access critical health benefits.

Exposure to violence, which is more common in inner city communities, has an impact on an individual’s mental health. Experiencing violence has been linked with depression and witnessing violence, has been linked with anger. With a national average of 752 people per mental health worker in the United States, Illinois ranks 30th in the countryforamountofpersonalsupportprovided, with 844 people per worker. In addition, mental health service coverage for children also fails to meet standards, ranking 41st in the country. In many instances, people in these areas do not receive the proper care they need in order to handle issues stemming from violence; this can affect their ability to do well in school and keep employment, which contributes to the continuing cycle of poverty and violence.

Education is another critical area where significant changes must be made in order to ensure students are getting the education they deserve. In Chicago, the quality of education differs drastically from communities between areas that experience high levels of poverty to areas with low levels of poverty. Feeling neglected, not having the proper tools to succeed, and/or not being motivated academically, many students in schools in low-income communities struggle. They may become discouraged and are more likely to drop-out than those in schools with better funding and support. This can ultimately affect their quality of life, as statistics show higher levels of unemployment associated with those who do not complete high school (13.8 percent) compared to those who have earned a Bachelor’s degree or higher (3.1 percent). The Chicago Public School system must figure out a better way to fund schools and stop neglecting particular students (primarily low-income minorities) in the school system.

In many low income communities, it seems as though opportunities to start careers are scarce. Access to job opportunities and training programs can help individuals earn an income and break the cycle of poverty, crime, and violence. Apprenticeships and job training programs can provide individuals from low-income communities with the opportunity to learn a new trade and earn money in the process. This can be extremely beneficial to those living in Chicago and across the state of Illinois, as the unemployment rate for youth in the state is the second highest in the nation. Young Invincibles’ Midwest office has been working diligently with the Illinois Governor’s Cabinet on Children and Youth to make apprenticeships available throughout the state. I have no doubt that this work will not only help decrease the unemployment rate, but will also change the lives of those young adults who participate.

Throughout Chicago, there are also organizations whose mission is to do the same. I recently interviewed Jenny Wolfe of Chicago’s Year Up, a non profit providing job training for low income young adults in Chicago. She explained how Year Up works with companies to provide talented and capable individuals with the opportunity to take part in a training program that can teach them the skills they need to be prepared for the job. She’s witnessed first hand the positive impact this type of investment can have on young adults. One student, she says, was able to secure a job following his time with Year Up and was able to buy a house for himself and his family. The ability to transform the trajectory of a person’s life and the lives of the people around them is profound. It is important to recognize the need for programs such as Year Up and the lasting positive effects they can have on people in poverty stricken communities.

To answer the question as to why Chicago is unsafe for so many, you must consider the factors that contribute to the lack of safety in these areas. We will not be able to confidently say the city is safe until we address the disparities in access and opportunity throughout the city. Lawmakers must continue to fight for change in health care and education in these low income communities. In addition, much work must be done to alleviate poverty and increase job opportunities in these communities. Nonetheless, with strides currently being taken to combat the unemployment rate through apprenticeships and programs like Year Up, we are heading in a positive direction. Action must be taken to ensure that people in these communities are not being ignored. Only then, will Chicago be a safe city for all.

Yetunde Dosu is a Chicago native and a first generation American. She is the youngest daughter of two hard-working Nigerian immigrants who always stressed the importance of education. She hopes to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Illinois. She serves as an Summer Fellow in the Organizing Department in the Midwest office. She is passionate about helping others and hopes to aid those in underserved communities by connecting them with tools and opportunities they need to succeed.

[Washington] – Today, Sec. DeVos’ Department of Education continued its relentless assault on accountability measures for college programs that leave their graduates with limited earning potential and high student debt. Despite having already initiated the troubling, yet legal, negotiated rulemaking process to weaken or roll back the Gainful Employment Rule (GE), the Department is pushing further by employing subversive, and possibly illegal, tactics to undermine the current rule. The Department announced they will further extend the appeals process for schools that failed the first round of the rule, enabling those schools to postpone providing warnings to their students about the poor quality of their programs. Additionally, the Secretary is now empowered to accept less reliable outcomes data to inform rule compliance determinations, in a radical departure from previous standards for determining graduates’ earnings that take into account response rate and sample size. Finally, the continued extension is reliant on a court order much narrower than the actions taken by the Department today, and it may be challenged in court.

“Secretary DeVos may be willing to sacrifice protections for students and may not like the gainful employment rule, but she is required by law to enforce it,” said Reid Setzer, Young Invincibles’ Government Affairs Director. “By continually delaying the enforcement of provisions within the rule, initiating a negotiated rulemaking to weaken or eliminate it, and providing no clear plan to collect and release data for the second round of GE in early 2018, the Department is sending a clear message: under Secretary Devos’ watch students won’t be protected and bad acting schools will not be held accountable. Today’s announcement continues to move the Department away from its mission to promote student achievement and foster educational excellence for all students.”